Final Chapter
by Formarly Known As LordBob
Summary: The title says it all.


  
  
Chapter 13  
  
I WENT TO SCHOOL early that day to turn in my assignment, which was kinda dumb seeing as how I was up all night writing the darn thing. I walked into the dim classroom to deliver it to Mr. Syme. He seemed sort of surprised when I plunked the thing down on his desk.  
Half way through I ran out of lined paper so I used blank for the rest of it. With that, I turned to leave, seeing as how my actual class didn't start until about eleven. But he stopped me.  
Is this a joke? he said, flipping through the pages, seeing if they were all written on.  
What do you mean? I asked. That's what you wanted me to do isn't it?  
Well, yes, but it's so long.  
You said I could have it as long as I wanted.  
No, it's not too long. It's just amazing..., he paused. You wrote this all last night?  
I nodded.  
Ok, well, I'll see you at eleven then, he said warily.  
As I left, I was thinking about my first class, Math. Then it was Socials and then came English. It was around seven thirty so I went into the cafeteria to get a Pepsi, avoiding the stares of all the Socs in the seating area. I didn't care. I just let them look. After I got my Pepsi, I went outside to have a smoke and wait for the bell to ring. I lit up and took a couple of swigs from my Pepsi when a group of Socs walked by with their girlfriends, laughing and joking with each other. As soon as they saw me, they stopped talking and stared as they walked by. I just stood there and stared back. It made me feel tuff and tough. They wouldn't touch me unless they had to.  
After I finished my cigarette, I was going to light up another one, but I remembered I had to start quitting some time so I threw the lit cigarette in the trash. I headed in to go to the locker me and Johnny used to share and then to Math. But first, I went to drop my Pepsi bottle in the trash bin. As I was walking by, I saw a group of girl Socs by some lockers. I couldn't help over-hearing them talk about some practice of some sort. I was about to leave when Cherry Valence came through the crowd toward me. Hey, Ponyboy! How you doin'? she asked.  
All right.  
You're the talk of the town. That's gotta make you feel ruff, huh? she asked  
I laughed.  
she asked.  
It's tuff, I said, and we laughed long and hard. It felt good. That was the first good laugh I'd had in a long while.  
I guess that's why I'm not a Greaser, she said, and we laughed some more. Then I glanced up at the clock and realized that it was almost eight.  
I cursed under my breath and said my goodbyes to Cherry as she caught up with her friends who were all serious now and scolding their friend for being nice to a Greaser. I ran down the hallway to my locker and fumbled with the lock to get it open. I grabbed my math assignment and raced as fast as I could around corners and up the flight of stairs to the Math room, but I was stopped short by Mr. Syme.  
I need to talk to you, he said in a low voice. So, I followed him back down the stairs toward the English room. It seemed like something was wrong, so I was worried that maybe my writing was a bit too graphic for a school assignment. But when I looked up at his face, he seemed pleased. So I didn't worry after that.  
We walked into the English room which was now illuminated by sunlight.  
I read your story, he held it up in the air. I thought it was good, real good. In fact, good enough to get published.  
I thought he was joking, so I started laughing, but when I saw his face, I stopped dead. You're serious!  
He got up. The only problem is this looks kind of messy, he said, pointing to the crumpled pile of papers.  
He was right. The thing looked pretty sad sitting on his neat desk. In fact, it looked more like a collection of assignments because of the different variations in paper.  
That's why I got you this. He looked over and on one of the desks was a typewriter. You may have thought it was just a plain, ordinary typewriter but it wasn't. It was green and had the shiniest keys I'd ever seen. Man, this thing was tuff. I know it sounds kinda dumb to be all excited about a typewriter but I had never seen one before. Well, I saw the occasional one in a store window, but Greasers aren't the kind of people who decide to go shopping for a new typewriter.  
I get to keep this? I asked.  
If you want, he said. I found this in the school basement, a while back, thinking I wanted it but my new one does me just fine so I shined it up for ya.  
Wow. Thanks.  
Don't thank me yet. Your fingers are going to burn like the devil's when your done with that thing.  
Do you want me to start now?  
If you want, you can, he said.  
What happens if I do?  
Well, you could miss the rest of your classes today and you could end up with the Seal of Approval.  
So, I sat down at the desk with my jumble of papers and started typing on the typewriter. When I was finished, I looked at it and it really looked better than it did before -- all on white paper and fresh looking. It took me about two hours with a short break in the middle where I went and got a drink of water. Then, Mr. Syme showed me how to reload the ink and put in more paper. After that, it was near the end of my last class, so I was allowed to go home.  
When I got home no one was there except for Two-Bit sleeping on the coach. I quietly snuck in and went to the sink, filled a glass of water, crept over to where he slept, and dumped it on his head. That was the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life! He jumped straight in the air and put out his fists like he was in a rumble. I reached out and gave him a good whack on the back of the head like he always did to me.  
Oh, Ponyboy! You sure gave me a scare! he said as I walked into the other room, grabbed a towel and threw it at him. I've taught you well, haven't I? he laughed.  
How come you're here? I asked.  
Oh, I was just wandering around and got tired and decided to come here and crash, he said. Then, Why are you here? Did you get in trouble?  
Nope. I'm not going to tell you, either, I said  
What?! No. I hate surprises. Well, I don't mind em when I know what they are. Please tell me!  
Sorry, Two-Bit, but your gonna have to wait like everybody else.  
He picked up the towel and rubbed it through his hair.  
  
  
A few hours later, Darry came home and saw me and Two-Bit on the floor trying to roll each other over. He walked over and kicked us both in the butts and we shot straight up. Then, we both tackled Darry and all three of us rolled on the ground. Soon, Soda and Steve came through the door and, without missing a beat, they jumped on us and we all had a mini rumble in the middle of the living room, knocking over lamps and banging into the furniture. Then we all lay there on our backs panting.  
Soda jumped up and went to the fridge and threw Darry, Steve and Two-Bit a beer and got some chocolate milk for both of us.  
Then he said, We ought to do this more often, and we all laughed.  
So, Pony, tell us your news, Two-Bit blurted out. This made me realize it was a good thing I hadn't told him or he would've ruined the whole thing.  
Aagh! Two-Bit! It was supposed to be a surprise, I said. Besides, we have to wait. I don't even really know.  
Ooh! This sounds exciting! Soda yelled.  
Well, I ain't tellin' you nothing until I find out myself.  
  
  
A few weeks later, we all went out to celebrate the Friday night at the Nightly Double. It was a pretty bad show. But we all came to have fun anyway. We didn't need to see anything good. After, we all went home and went to sleep. The next morning, we woke up and ate breakfast and Soda went out for the mail. I had just got out of bed when he jumped at me and pinned me down on the bed.  
Hey, Ponyboy, you got some mail, he said with a huge Soda grin. Open it! He shouted.  
I got out of bed. I looked at the envelope. It was from Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. I was about to open it. Wait I need the letter opener.  
We don't have a letter opener!  
Are you sure? I could have sworn we had a letter opener. I was about to leave when I was stopped by a wall of Darry.  
Open the letter, kid, he said in a low but playful voice.  
I opened it slowly and pulled it out. It was two pieces of paper stapled together. I was about to read it when Darry snatched it out of my hands and read it aloud. Hello _Ponyboy Curtis_. We have read your manuscript and have decided that it is _satisfactory_ to our requirements..., He stopped. What manuscript?  
My assignment.  
You wrote a whole book, Ponyboy? asked Soda.  
  
They looked like a couple of deer caught in the headlights.  
Hey. Don't tell Steve or Two-Bit just yet. I want to see the look on their faces when I show them the cover of it, I laughed. Tuff enough for ya?  
Now, we definitely have to go and celebrate, Darry said.  
All right. First dibs on the bathroom! I said, as I ran out of the room. I slammed the door behind me, started running the water in the shower, and bent over the toilet and threw up. I'm not one for throwing up often, but when I was sitting there acting like I had been expecting to get an acceptance letter, it made my stomach turn over a few times.  
After I had my shower, I felt better. But this time I skipped the chocolate cake at breakfast!


End file.
